What is the function of the TATA box in eukaryotic promoters?
- A
It encodes a small regulatory peptide.
- B
It functions as the ribosome binding site (Shine-Dalgarno).
- C
It catalyzes splicing of the pre-mRNA.
- Dcheck_circle
It is a binding site for general transcription factors that recruit RNA polymerase II to the transcription start site.
Explanation
The TATA box, located ~25 bp upstream of the start site, is bound by TBP (a subunit of TFIID); this assembles the preinitiation complex and positions RNA polymerase II for transcription initiation.